Ship of LIES!
by Dracobolt
Summary: Felix, why must you turn this floating boat into a ship of lies? Oh, what a tangled web we weave when we first try to cover up the death of a party member with a crazy, Weekend at Bernie'sesque scheme. [Oneshot]


Started this back in November as a side project to my NaNo. Worked on it off and on after that and then finally decided to finish it for a contest. It started out as a weird humor fic like I usually write, but it kind of, well, morphed into what it is now.

Special thanks go to GSAlex, who helped me come up with the whole second half of the story and gave me the quote in the summary, as well as being generally supportive.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Golden Sun or the characters or anything. That all belongs to Nintendo and Camelot.

* * *

Several days after the two groups had united, the Lemurian ship docked at Alhafra to get

provisions. The group were searching the world for more djinn and more powerful weapons that might prove useful should they run into trouble lighting the final lighthouse.

Since they had stopped at Alhafra, it was decided that Isaac's group should go in to buy supplies. Felix and his friends did not have the most pleasant memories of the city. Isaac and Garet went into town to pick out the supplies that the ship needed. Ivan tagged along, too, but Mia decided to stay aboard the ship. The whole group did not need to go down into the town as the merchants would send the supplies back to the ship by cart, and all that was needed was to negotiate purchases.

The three boys left the ship early in the morning. Alhafra's market opened at sunrise, and so Isaac and the others left just before dawn broke. Mia felt herself fortunate for being able to sleep in.

Rising at the more civilized hour of nine in the morning, Mia washed and dressed and then headed to the small kitchen and dining room on one of the lower decks. Like on their old Lemurian ship, the dining room on Piers' ship was meant to seat about four people. Nine was more of stretch, so everyone was encouraged to eat in shifts. The Adept on cooking duty would prepare the meal and let it keep warm in the oven so that the others could serve themselves. When Mia entered the kitchen, she smelled sausages and fresh rolls. Smiling, she helped herself to a hearty breakfast and sat down at the table to eat. No one else was about, and she relished the quiet. It was not easy to get such peace with so many people hanging around the relatively small ship.

"Morning, Mia." Mia looked up and saw that Jenna had come in. Mia swallowed a bite of food and greeted Jenna.

"So, what do we have today? Ooh, cinnamon rolls. Sheba must have made breakfast today; she loves cinnamon rolls. The sausage looks good, too." Jenna prepared a plate and took a seat at the table across from Mia. "So, you didn't go into town with the others. What do you have planned for today?"

"I'm not really sure," said Mia, rising and crossing the room to help herself to another roll. "I wanted to poke around the ship some more and perhaps practice with my staff. We've not been in many battles lately, and I wish to stay in practice." She sat back down.

"Hey, maybe we can spar with each other," Jenna suggested. She sipped some juice. "I have to do some washing, but maybe in an hour or two we could meet on the deck."

"That sounds good," Mia said. She finished eating and rose. "I shall see you then." She put her dish in the sink, leaving it for whoever had kitchen cleanup duty that day. Whoever it was, Mia did not envy them. She had had that job three days ago, and it was astounding how many dirty dishes they generated in just one day. Well, it was no concern of hers now. Mia headed for the lower decks, intent on exploring as much as she could before meeting Jenna to spar.

There was a rack for weapons just inside the door leading to the main deck. Mia was already there when Jenna came in.

"Sorry it took me so long," Jenna said. "Washing Felix's socks is a battle in and of itself."

Mia giggled. "I know how that can be. Alex always managed to get me to do the wash back in Imil. How do they get their clothes so dirty?"

"It's one of those mysteries of life," Jenna said. She noticed that Mia had a staff. "You don't use a sword?"

"No," Mia said. "I never learned how to use one. I can also fight well enough with a mace."

"Well, I know how to use a staff," Jenna said. "If I can find one, I'll use that, instead."

Mia glanced over the assortment of weapons. "Here's one of mine that we still have. You can use it." She picked it up and handed it to Jenna.

Jenna tossed the staff from hand to hand, getting a feel for it. "Nice. Okay, let's go outside and see what you've got."

The girls stepped out onto the main deck of the ship. It wasn't in motion, but it still bobbed slightly when the occasional larger wave lapped at it. Mia and Jenna took up positions facing each other.

"Ready?" Jenna asked. Mia nodded. Jenna lunged, swinging her staff savagely. Mia was taken aback by Jenna's attack, but she recovered to block, turning away from the blow and then striking out under Jenna's guard with her own staff. Jenna stumbled, but she caught herself with one hand against the deck and propelled herself back up, swinging her staff at Mia.

Mia dodged the blow easily, but this had given Jenna a chance to recover her composure, and now the Mars Adept was ready for a second go. Still, Jenna bided her time, waiting for the Mercury Adept to make the first strike. This meant a lot of defensive circling, as Mia was not the sort to strike first, but Jenna waited her out, and Mia launched a swift strike at Jenna's left side.

Jenna parried the unexpected blow, and this led to a flurry of strikes, each girl blocking the other's attack and countering with one of her own which was then blocked as well. Jenna was thrilled to find Mia an excellent opponent. Sheba was good, but the younger girl was frailer and shorter; Jenna had too much of a physical advantage in sparring matches. Mia was able to evenly match. Jenna; both girls were able to sense the other's limits, and thus the match went perfectly.

Excitement built within Jenna, and it was too late before she realized that it wasn't just excitement that was building but also Psynergetic power which was pushing to be released through her weapon. _No!_ Jenna thought. _No unleashes! Just sparring!_ But the energy pulsed, and the weapon seemed to call for her to let it go. It was too much for Jenna to resist, and with her next strike she unleashed the staff's Psynergy. Mia was thrown across the deck by the power of the attack, and as soon as the rush of energy left her, Jenna dropped the staff and dashed to Mia.

_It's not that bad_, Jenna told herself. _We're all strong enough to take a hit like this. I can use Aura and help Mia, or Felix or Piers can use their Psynergy..._ Jenna dropped to her knees next to Mia. She grabbed the other girl's arm and felt for a pulse. Nothing. Was she checking the wrong place? Jenna moved her thumb along Mia's wrist, searching in vain for a sign of life. She moved her fingers to Mia's neck; no pulse there, either. Was she breathing?

With dread, Jenna realized that Mia was absolutely still. Jenna felt faint. Her view of the deck moved in and out of focus, as if viewed through water, as Jenna rose to her feet and pelted towards the cabin door.

"Felix!" Jenna screamed as she ran inside the Lemurian ship. "Piers! Come quickly!" In less than a minute, the boys, as well as Sheba, arrived in the main cabin.

"Jenna, what is it?" Felix asked.

"It's Mia," Jenna said. "She- the two of us were sparring on the deck, and I was using a staff she lent me, and suddenly - I couldn't help it - the weapon unleashed, and it threw her across the deck, and, Felix, I couldn't find a pulse, and she's not breathing, either. Oh, gods, Felix, you have to do something!" Jenna had not even finished speaking before her brother and Piers were out the door. Jenna and Sheba followed.

Felix and Piers knelt next to Mia's body. It looked so wrong, thought Jenna, for the other girl to be sprawled there. Her hair fanned out across the ground, and one arm lay out to one side where Jenna had dropped it after checking for a pulse. Hair obscured Mia's face, and Jenna was glad, so grateful for that. She did not want to picture the expression on Mia's face. One of betrayal, perhaps? Jenna could not help letting her mind wander there. She barely remembered the moments leading up to that last blow, but perhaps Mia was puzzled by Jenna's action, fear overcoming her as she saw Jenna's aura flaring up with the power of the weapon's unleash welling up. Perhaps some disbelief, wondering if Jenna was seriously attacking her.

Jenna was overcome. She dropped to her knees, sobbing. "What did I do? How? It shouldn't have killed her, it shouldn't have! She's not dead, is she Felix? Is she, Piers?" There was no response from either boy, but that silence spoke to her, telling Jenna what she dreaded to know. "No, it can't be! One unleash couldn't have done it!"

"This one could have, Jenna." Sheba had picked up the staff Jenna had dropped and was

examining it. "It say here, engraved on the shaft, that this is the 'Crystal Rod, which hath the power of Mercury to drown thine enemy". I think this is one of those weapons which can kill someone instantly."

"I didn't know," Jenna whispered, staring at the planking of the deck without really seeing it. "Oh, Mars, I didn't know!"

There was absolute silence on the ship. The wind blew in from the direction of town, carrying with it the oh so faint sound of commerce, the shouts of vendors, the snorts and grunts of livestock, the thumps and bangs of goods being moved.

"Isaac..." Felix murmured. "Oh, gods. Isaac." The words hit them all. Isaac and Mia were- had been in love. The news would kill him.

"If he finds out that Mia was killed, even by you Jenna-," this prompted a wave of sobbing from Jenna, which Felix talked over as he continued his monologue, "-then who knows what he'll do. We _need_ him to stay with us for Mars Lighthouse, and-"

Here Sheba cut him off. "Felix, how can you be so callous! I know our quest is important but Mia is dead!" She half sobbed the last word.

"I know, Sheba, I know," Felix said. He ran a hand over his hair. "Really, I'm upset, too, but - ugh, this is hard to say, even though it's true- our quest is more important than any one person's life. If Isaac and his friends get upset and leave us, we're probably screwed over for Mars Lighthouse. We can't let him find out what happened."

"Well, that will be kind of hard to do," Sheba snapped. "What do you suggest, we pretend that Mia's still alive?"

"Yes," Felix said. Sheba's jaw dropped open. "Until," Felix clarified, "we can make her death look like a true accident."

"It will never work!" Sheba exclaimed.

"We might just be able to pull it off," Felix said, his expression wild. "Sheba, see if you can use your powers to make Mia talk. Do a- a reverse Mind Read. Try it."

Sheba shot Felix a disgusted look, but she trudged over to the corpse. Piers got up silently and went over to Jenna to try and comfort her. Sheba placed a hand on Mia's arm and let her consciousness expand. There was no aura of another mind present in Mia's body, and Sheba felt herself quake with sorrow. She pushed the emotion aside and forced her own consciousness into Mia's mind. Mia's brain was still intact, so Sheba willed the other girl's brain to function, to produce speech.

"Can you hear me?" Everyone on deck jumped when they heard Mia's voice. Sheba withdrew from Mia's mind immediately.

"That's great," Felix said.

"It's disgusting," Sheba said. "It's creepy and perverted, and _I'm not doing it, Felix_.

Felix stiffened. His expression hardened, and he stared into space for five measured counts. Then his expression and posture relaxed. "All right, Sheba," he said, his tone conversational, almost pleasant. "We don't have to do this. You can explain to Isaac that one of his best friends murdered his girlfriend. I'm sure he'll take the news great." Felix paused. "Or you can help Jenna by helping us make Isaac and the others believe that Mia's death was a tragic accident for which no one is to blame.

"Well, when you put it like that, what choice do I have?" Sheba snapped, folding her arms.

"Very good," Felix said. "Now we need to plan. Sheba, can you make her move?"

"Why don't you just have me play Mia for the rest of my life?"

"That's a good idea," Felix said. "I was just joking!" he added second later when Sheba glared at him. "Seriously, Sheba, I was just joking! No, if you don't want to do that, one of us will hold Mia up. It would look suspicious if you did it all, anyway." Nodding to Piers, he said, "You bring Mia into the cabin. We've got to plan what sort of accident she'll have. Come on, Jenna, Sheba, let's go."

"I can't believe this," Jenna muttered. She stared very hard at the ceiling of the main cabin.

"Stay still," Piers said. "I'm almost done." His tongue stuck out slightly as he concentrated on his task. After a few more moments, he finished the last stitch. "You're ready, Jenna."

"This is so creepy," Jenna moaned. She continued to focus on the ceiling, avoiding looking to her left.

"Stand up and see how it works," Felix said. He sat restlessly in an armchair. "We don't have much time."

Jenna stood up, trying very hard not to cry. She put her arm around Mia's back and under her left arm to support her. She and Mia rose, held together by their shirts, which were sewn together. As they stood, Mia's head lolled and rolled next to Jenna's. Jenna barely suppressed a shriek.

"Anything we can do about that?" Felix asked, shifting in his chair. Piers stepped up to Mia and with a very skillful and controlled casting, formed a Psynergetic neck brace for Mia which would not be visible from the front.

"She's getting heavy," Jenna said. "She can't support her own weight anymore."

"Try to stay sitting when you can," Felix said. "Otherwise, lean against something. Squish her up between you and a wall." Jenna sat down again, and Mia followed.

"Sheba, give speech a try." There was a grunt from the far corner of the room.

"Happy, Felix?" Mia said. This time Jenna really did shriek.

"Oh gods, I can't do it, Felix, I can't, just get her away from me, please, Felix, please," Jenna babbled, her voice quivering.

Felix frowned. "Jen, we've come so far with this. Just a few more hours. I know you can do it. Please?" Jenna hyperventilated. "Oh, Venus," Felix moaned. "Piers, hit her with a Ply." Piers did so, and Jenna's breathing became slower. "Are you all right now, Jenna?"

"I hate you," Jenna told her brother, but he ignored the words, concentrating more on the fact that his sister's breathing was back down to a normal rate.

"Okay, Jenna." Felix stood up and began pacing back and forth in front of the sofa where his sister and the body formerly known as Mia were sitting. "Do you understand the plan?"

"Yes," Jenna said. "Mia and I greet the others when they come aboard. Then we go over to the opposite side of the boat to talk. I cut Mia loose from me, and then she trips and falls off of the ship and drowns."

"Exactly," Felix said. "Piers, Sheba, and I will stall them."

"Why can't we just throw her in the water and say that she drowned?" Piers asked.

"Because," Felix explained slowly, "they need to see Mia alive so that there can be no doubt that it was an accident."

"You've really thought this out, haven't you?" Sheba asked dryly.

"I have," Felix said with a nod. "There can be no mistakes. The costs are too high for us to have any failures or deviations from the plan."

"I just hope Isaac and the others get back here soon," Jenna muttered under her breath. "The sooner this is over, the better."

"Here they come," Piers said, looking through the door. It was late afternoon by this point, and Jenna was almost glad that Isaac, Garet, and Ivan were returning. She could not stand being shackled to a corpse for much longer. Her neck was slightly sore from keeping her head constantly turned to the right.

The four living Adepts went out onto the deck, Jenna supporting Mia. The Mercury Adept was certainly heavy, Jenna noticed. It wasn't fun, trying to support the dead weight of another person. She took a few deep breaths and adjusted her grip on Mia. Isaac, Garet, and Ivan ascended the gangplank.

"Hi, guys!" Jenna said brightly, hoping her voice wouldn't shake.

"Well, hey," Isaac said. "Didn't expect a welcome committee to meet us."

"How was your trip?" Felix asked. "Did you order everything?"

"Yeah," Garet said. "Turns out the squirt is good for something." He ruffled Ivan's hair.

Ivan shot Garet a mock glare and rolled his eyes, adding, "Yeah, being Master Hammet's foster son taught me a lot about working with merchants. Not only did we get everything, but for about half of the amount we expected to pay. We also got an amazing deal on Tuscan Whole Milk."

"That's great," Sheba said. She was standing to the left of Jenna, close to Mia. Now she used a bit of Psynergy to project some words from Mia's mouth.

"I'm glad your excursion went well," Mia said. Jenna suppressed a shudder.

"Yeah," Jenna said. "Well, Mia and I were about to have a girl to girl talk, so we're going to go over-" Jenna started to trail off as she spoke. Her hold on Mia was tenuous enough, but now the stitches were going. Jenna felt them popping. She tried to turn away, but that just caused the rest of the stitches to come away. Mia fell to the deck in a heap.

_Oh crud, oh crud, oh crud_, Jenna thought to herself as she knelt beside the dead girl. _Now they'll find out for sure. Poor Isaac, he doesn't deserve to find out like this._

"Step aside, Jenna, everyone," Piers said as he knelt next to Mia. Jenna stood up and backed away, relieved. Piers pretended to examine Mia as everyone watched anxiously. "I do declare," he said after several moments' work, "I believe she has the vapors."

"What are those?" Isaac asked. "Is she going to be okay?"

"Yes, yes, she'll be fine," Piers said. He carefully picked up Mia in his arms. "Jenna, why don't you come with me back to Mia's cabin? I'll treat her there." He strode into the ship, Jenna at his heels the whole way.

"That was odd," Garet said. He scratched his head. "I've never heard of the vapors. I hope Mia's okay."

"Me too," Isaac said. "Maybe I should go check on her."

"No!" Felix said. Isaac stared at him. "What I mean is that Piers probably needs concentration when he's healing," Felix amended.

Isaac looked at him long and hard. Felix gave him his best innocent grin. After a moment Isaac nodded. "Fine. I'm going to my cabin." He left, Garet and Ivan following.

Felix and Sheba were left alone on the deck. "That was too close," Felix said.

"There wouldn't have been a problem if we had just told the truth from the beginning," Sheba said, crossing her arms and glaring up at him. "Face it, Felix. Your plan stinks. It's all going to fall apart, and then think how angry Isaac and the others will be."

"Sheba, nothing else will go wrong," Felix said. "Why don't we go check on Pier-"

"One Mindread from Ivan and we're sunk!" Sheba persisted. "We should just own up now while we still can."

Felix looked at her, dark brows drawn together and nostrils flared. He was silent for a moment, just staring, and Sheba shifted her weight, uneasy under his intense regard. "We're going this with this." His voice was soft, but there was ardor evident in the way he spoke. Sheba gave a mute nod. Felix could be scary sometimes. She didn't like to think of him that way, but the hardness he sometimes possessed could not be denied.

"Let's go inside," Felix said. He entered the cabin and Sheba followed him, sighing. It seemed that they were going to continue the charade. She glanced out across the ocean. _I wonder how far of a swim it'd be to Lalivero..._

"All finished," Piers said. "The stitches are tighter now, so you'll need to cut Mia loose instead of just pushing her away and over the rail. These won't snap easily." He handed Jenna a pair of sewing scissors. "Keep those on you. I suggest we get this over with, so you might want to just go up on deck and take care of Mia now."

Jenna nodded and sighed with relief. Then she frowned slightly. "It feels, well, wrong, though, to just shove Mia overboard. Disrespectful."

"I know," Piers said. "I'm against this whole idea, too, Jenna, but the way Felix presented it, we really had no other option. Once we fish Mia out of the water, she'll be treated with the respect she reserves. Isaac will make sure of it."

"Y-yeah," Jenna said. "Piers, why did this have to happen? I didn't mean to do it..." Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"Jenna..." Piers put a hand on her shoulder, unable to think of anything to say.

"Maybe I should just own up," she said. "Tell Isaac everything."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Jenna." Felix strode into the room. Sheba slouched against the doorframe, arms crossed over her chest, looking disgustedly at Felix. "If," continued Felix, "there was a chance of Isaac taking the news relatively well, that chance vanished when we first began to deceive him. Jenna, the only option is to see this through." Sheba snorted. Felix shot her a glare, and then looked back at Jenna.

Jenna sniffed and rubbed away her tears with the back of her right hand, the other arm being occupied by holding a corpse upright. "F-fine," she muttered, not looking at Felix. "I'll do it. Can I just finish it now, please, Felix?"

"Sure," Felix said. "I think that would be for the best."

"Everyone, dinner's ready!" The four Adepts all started upon hearing Kraden's yell.

"Man, he's got a set of lungs," Felix said with a laugh. "Well, let's get- Jenna?"

Jenna had gone absolutely pale. Her free hand clutched the comforter of the bed she sat on in a white-knuckled grip. "Now what?" she whispered.

"What-? Oh, dinner." Felix flicked a bang out of his face as he thought. "I don't know, Jenna," he said after a moment. "I don't think you'll be able to get out of dinner without it being too suspicious. You're going to have to-"

Sheba cut him off with a hiss. "Quiet!"

"Huh?" Felix turned to her, and as he did, Isaac came to the door.

"Kraden says it's time to eat," Isaac said. "Is Mia feeling better?"

"I'm fine," Mia said. Jenna flinched ever so slightly, but Isaac didn't appear to notice. He just grinned and said, "C'mon, Mia, let's get to dinner."

"I still need to talk with Jenna," Mia said. "We'll come right behind the rest of you. Now, go on." Her mouth twitched into a smile, and she tittered in her characteristic fashion.

"Well, you heard her," Felix said to Isaac. "Might as well give the girls some space. They'll follow us, or," he glanced at Jenna, "they'll lose out on dinner. Remember, Jen, we've got Garet with us now. No leftovers." Jenna forced out a laugh. Piers and Felix left, following Isaac to the dining area.

"Okay, we have a moment to figure this out," Sheba said after the boys were gone. "You and I can sit on either side of Mia. I'll respond to conversation for her, but we'll make it known that she has a slight headache and that she doesn't feel like eating because of those vapors or whatever Piers said. Then, once dinner's over, we can get back to the plan. How's that?"

"Yeah," Jenna said. She took a deep breath, let it out, and nodded. "Yeah, that will have to work. We can do this. I can do this." She stood up, supporting Mia. "Get her other side?"

"Got it," Sheba said, and the three of them trooped to the dining room.

"So, Mia, how was your day?" Isaac, ever the doting boyfriend, inquired.

"It was fine." Mia said. Next to Mia, Sheba paused in mid-chew, concentrating on sending the words out of Mia's mouth. Sheba swallowed and then added, "Jenna, Sheba, and I spent the day just doing girl stuff. I'm sure your trip to town was much more interesting. Tell us about it."

It was smart thinking on Sheba's part, Jenna thought. Getting Isaac to take up the conversation meant that she and Sheba could put their attention to their food instead of manipulating Mia. Jenna wanted to be able to enjoy that evening's dinner. Kraden was a very good cook, and he'd prepared delicious beef stew. Besides being a particular favorite of Jenna's, the stew was also easy for Jenna to eat with one hand, the other reserved for keeping Mia from falling face-first into her bowl. However, Jenna, busy pondering and eating, failed to notice Mia slowly drooping forward.

"Mia, are you feeling okay?" Felix spoke from where he leaned against the wall opposite of the girls. Days when Kraden cooked prompted everyone to eat at the same time, no matter how cramped the room got. Jenna snapped her attention to Mia and, seeing how the other girl was slumped over, surreptitiously pulled her into a more normal position as best she could with just one hand and the others looking at Mia.

"I'm just still recovering from the, er, vapors," Mia said. Sheba picked up a napkin and patted Mia's brow with it.

"Poor Mia," Sheba said. "I've had the vapors before. Not a pleasant experience."

"I'll be fine," Mia said. She then fell face-first into her stew, sending bits of food flying.

Jenna looked stricken as she helped Sheba pull Mia out of the food. She didn't dare look at Felix; he was probably glaring at her in that scary way he had. She gave a small shudder. It wasn't her fault; it wasn't exactly easy getting a dead body to do what she wanted it to do!

"Piers, why's she still feeling ill?" Ivan asked. He was perched on a stool in a corner of the room, balancing his bowl of stew on his knees. Mopping up some gravy with a dinner roll, he continued, "I thought Ply could make anyone feel better."

"Er, the vapors are deucedly tricky to cure," Piers said. "There's a, er, psychological component of the illness. That's undoubtedly why Mia has been confiding in Jenna so much."

Sheba animated Mia's face as she shot back a reply. "Piers, you promised you wouldn't mention that!"

"Mention what?" Isaac asked. "Mia, is something wrong?"

"It has nothing to do with you, Isaac," Mia said, her voice softer. "Jenna and Sheba and I have everything almost worked out. I just got a little over-emotional."

"Well, okay," Isaac said, looking not entirely convinced. "Just know that you can come talk to me any time you want."

"Thank you, Isaac, that means a lot to me."

"Why don't we get some fresh air, Mia?" Jenna asked, setting down a napkin that she'd used to help clean off Mia's face. "We can finish talking while everyone else finishes dinner."

"I'm done, too," Felix said. "Here, I'll help you outside, Mia. You're probably still feeling a little weak." He came around the table and slipped an arm around Mia's back and helped her to rise. He, Jenna, and Mia left the dining room.

"That... was odd," Ivan said.

"What're you talking about?" Garet asked.

"Nothing," Ivan said. He shoved a last bit of bread in his mouth and chewed it slowly, thoughtfully. "Nothing at all..."

"You're lucky Sheba and Piers were able to cover up for your mistakes," Felix said sharply. "You could have ruined everything! Why did you let her fall?"

"My arm's tired from always holding her up," Jenna snapped back. "I was trying my best, Felix. I don't see you lugging around a corpse!"

"Jenna," Felix began. He stopped, ran his free hand over his hair, and sighed. "I'm sorry. I know this must be hard for you. It's not going to get easy for a while. But, hey, you can do this. You're my spunky little sister who doesn't let things get her down. Look, the railing's right over there. I'll wait here," he indicated the area right next to the cabin door, "and you can go cut her loose. Be quick, now. We don't want anyone else coming out while you're doing that."

Jenna nodded and tightened her grip on Mia. She walked to the railing at the edge of the deck and leaned Mia against it. It was hard to get the scissors to cut the stitches since one of her arms was entangled in the mess of hasty stitches.

Felix coughed loudly. Jenna glanced over to him. He moved his hand in a "hurry it up" gesture and nodded to the cabin, then back to the deck. Jenna mouthed, "Someone coming?" Felix nodded, pale-faced. Jenna began ripping at the stitches, not caring if she cut her own shirt. They

_couldn't_ get caught.

Another cough. Jenna looked, and Felix mimed pushing. Jenna gestured to the stitches with her scissors. Felix shook his head and mimed pushing again. Jenna shook her head, but Felix looked at her with one of his scary-intense gazes, and so, biting her lip, Jenna heaved Mia onto the railing and shoved, simultaneously pulled herself backwards.

With a shriek, Jenna followed Mia over the railing, falling backwards into the water, thoughts racing. _It wasn't enough... It wasn't enough..._ "Felix!" she shrieked. "Felix, he-!"

Her shout was cut off as she hit the water. Jenna thrashed about, trying to tread water and stay afloat, but the weight on her left side was pulling her under. She spit out some water and gazed about. Where was the shore? No! She was on the wrong side of the ship! "Felix!" she shouted again, almost sobbing. "Felix, please!" More water washed over her face, and she disappeared beneath the surface momentarily. Reappearing, she shouted again, and this time was rewarded by seeing Felix's face at the railing.

He stared down at her with no expression on his face, analyzing. His brows furrowed and the corners of his mouth twitched downward for just a moment, but the next second, he nodded once, and his face returned to impassivity. He turned his head, appeared to be listening, and then after a moment, he dove overboard, popping up next to Jenna.

"Felix!" Jenna gasped. "She's too heavy! I can't-" she slipped under the water again but managed to struggle back up. "I can't stay up! I lost the scissors! Please, help!"

Felix swam next to Jenna and wrapped her in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Jenna," he said.

"Wha-?" she gasped. "Felix, please, help me!"

"I'm so sorry," he said again, and he forced her under the water. Jenna struggled, but she was already so weak from staying above the water with Mia in tow that she soon gave up. Felix pulled her head out of the water and felt her neck for a pulse. Nothing. He'd done it. The line had been crossed, and Felix allowed himself to let out an inarticulate cry of grief. He'd murdered his sister, but he'd done it for the world. The twin deaths of Mia and Jenna would bind the rest of them together, and the final Lighthouse would get lit.

"Felix, get aboard." Felix turned his gaze to the ship. The others stood at the railing. Garet and Piers held one end of a rope ladder. Felix deftly pulled apart the stitches that bound the two girls together, swam over to the ship and, with much difficulty made it up the ladder with the girls in tow.

"Wh-what happened?" Garet asked. His pale face stood out in contrast to his red hair, and he had to clutch the deck's railing to stay standing, it seemed.

Felix shook his head. "It happened so fast. They were talking over here, by the side, and then... Well, it sort of looked like Mia fainted, and Jenna must have been dragged over with her. I was too late to save them." He covered his face with his hands and sobbed. It wasn't hard. He could barely keep the tears in, really. His sister, his baby sister... _But it's for the good of the world_, he reminded himself as he slowly took control of himself again. _I just have to get through this, and then we can light the Lighthouse._

Felix came out of his reverie to see Isaac cradling Mia in his arms, sobbing unabashedly, and Garet crouched next to him, one hand on his friend's shoulder. Piers, standing to one side, just stared at Jenna. Both Jupiter Adepts had their gazes fixed on Felix, Ivan's probing and Sheba's full of horror.

"Let's get them inside," Felix said. "We can figure out what to do next." Isaac carried Mia in, and Garet followed with Jenna. Piers went, too, as did Ivan, but not before he gave Felix a long look.

"He's suspicious," Sheba said, walking over to Felix.

"He can't prove anything," Felix said.

"_I'm_ suspicious. Felix, how did Jenna die?"

"I told you," Felix said. "She fell into the water with Mia."

"Felix..." Sheba looked into his eyes. She grabbed his wrist and cast Mindread, then released his hand and staggered backward. "Your own _sister_? You- you-!"

"Sheba, please understand." Felix spread his hands and spoke, his voice quavering. "I didn't want to do it." Tears spilled down his face. "Gods, I didn't want to! But if I didn't, everything would have come out, and we need to stick together! There's one more Lighthouse, and we can't afford to split up."

"You're despicable," Sheba said. "Once we finish this quest, I never want to see you again. The only reason I'm not leaving right now is because that would mean that Jenna and Mia's deaths were in vain."

"Thank you, Sheba," Felix said, reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me." She whirled around and went inside the cabin.

Felix was quite alone. He began shaking uncontrollably and dropped to his knees. _What have I done?_ Tears splashed on the deck, and he sobbed, a sound that was like a combination of snorting and wailing, born of trying to keep his grief quiet. This wasn't how it was supposed to end up! They couldn't help Mia being dead, but why did Jenna have to die? How did everything spin out of control so quickly?

A soft click caught Felix's attention. He glanced at the cabin door just in time to catch a glimpse of blond hair as someone withdrew. Too small to be Isaac, and not Sheba, either. Ivan. The Jupiter Adept was definitely suspicious of him. Something had to be done to prevent him from poking his nose into things and stirring up more trouble.

Felix decided to talk to Sheba and Piers. Between the three of them, they'd come up with a way to keep Ivan from becoming any more inquisitive. If worse came to worst, they'd have to silence him permanently. Felix was loath to do so, but if it was for the good of their quest it'd have to be done. "One more..." he whispered. "That's all. Just one more. Then we can put this all behind us." With a small nod to himself, he stood up, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand. A small smile formed on his lips. He'd do what needed doing, and the world would be saved. As he'd learned from Saturos and Menardi, a few may sometimes need to be sacrificed for the good of many, so that's what he'd do. They'd thank him later once they'd realized that his way was the only way.


End file.
